Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Goodreads: A shopkeeper's daughter, Hazel Renner lives in the shadows of the Pittsburgh steel mills. She dreams of adventure, even as her immigrant parents push her toward a staid career. But in 1914, war seizes Europe and all their ambitions crumble. German-Americans are suddenly the enemy, "the Huns." Hazel herself is an outsider in her own home when she learns the truth of her birth.Desperate for escape, Hazel takes a teaching job in a seemingly tranquil farming community. But the idyll is cracked when she acquires a mysterious healing power--a gift that becomes a curse as the locals' relentless demand for "miracles" leads to tragedy.

Hazel, determined to find answers, traces her own history back to a modern-day castle that could hold the truth about her past. There Hazel befriends the exiled, enigmatic German baron and forges a bond with the young gardener, Tom. But as America is shattered by war and Tom returns battered by shell-shock, Hazel's healing talents alone will not be enough to protect those close to her, or to safeguard her dreams of love and belonging. She must reach inside to discover that sometimes the truth is not so far away, that the simplest of things can lead to the extraordinary.Kritters Thoughts: Hazel is a German-American living in Pittsburgh and World War II is on its way. How will she and her family be impacted by the onset of war and not living in their "homeland?" An interesting take on the beginnings of World War II, a German-American who is trying to figure out her future while watching Germany fall apart from afar. There is a big unknown for her as she has no idea how people will react to her nationality as the war is looming. I found Hazel to be a fine character, I didn't love, but I also didn't hate her - she was sort of mehh. With all that said the pacing really didn't make this book for me. It was slow from start to the end and I don't usually mind a slow build to a book, but for some reason this one just didn't build and felt very stagnant. This isn't my first book of Pamela Schoenewaldt's and won't be my last; I just wouldn't put this one as my favorite.Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a rowEbook 2015 Challenge: 34 out of 100Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.